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Military Mission

Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, one of only two Master Jet Bases in the United States, is located in Kings and Fresno Counties and near the City of Lemoore. NAS Lemoore encompasses 29,823 acres and is home to 18 F/A-18 squadrons, including two Fleet Replacement Squadrons, and the Center for Naval Aviation Training and Technical Unit (CNATTU) Lemoore. The base conducts approximately 210,000 flight operations per year, or more than 575 operations per day on average. An ongoing Environmental Impact Statement process considers NAS Lemoore as one of two possible locations for the West Coast Home Port of the F-35/Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

Joint Land Use Study Planning Process

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Facilities) nominated NAS Lemoore for a Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) in October 2008. The study sponsor, Kings County Association of Governments, coordinated the JLUS with participating jurisdictions Kings and Fresno Counties and the City of Lemoore, and organized the members under a formal Joint Powers Agreement. Using projected noise contours based on both F/A-18 and JSF aircraft from the 2010 Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ) study, the JLUS included an analysis of land use around NAS Lemoore and recommended solutions to prevent future incompatible land use. Adopted by the JLUS Policy Committee in August 2011, the study included recommendations for Overlay Zones, a small area study of the Ground Control Approach (GCA) pattern, use of lighting standards, real estate disclosures, public outreach, sound attenuation measures, and limits to object heights. The JLUS also included recommendations specific to each participating jurisdiction and to NAS Lemoore.

Implementation Strategy

After the JLUS Policy Committee accepted the JLUS Final Report, Kings and Fresno Counties and the City of Lemoore passed individual resolutions to support the JLUS, and reconvened in January 2012 to discuss implementation progress. The Lemoore City Council declined to accept several recommendations, in particular the establishment of Overlay Zones, the small area study of the GCA pattern, and collaboration with other jurisdictions to facilitate conservation easements through the Range and Environmental Protection Initiative. However, the Lemoore City Council supported implementation of the other 16 recommendations in the City of Lemoore Chapter. The City may also de-annex the portion of the city located West of Highway 41, establishing a dividing line between urban development in the city and rural Kings County to further protect NAS Lemoore. The Kings County and Fresno County Boards of Supervisors accepted the JLUS in October and November 2011, respectively, directing staff to implement the first two recommendations regarding airspace coordination and public awareness measures.